ECP rejects plea to hold provincial assembly polls in Fata simultaneously

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday once again rejected an election petition calling for holding election on provincial assembly seats in erstwhile Fata simultaneously with the rest of the country.  

A bench of the Commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza announced this verdict on the petition seeking review of its previous verdict in this regard.

It earlier reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from the petitioner’s lawyer Farogh Naseem.

The counsel argued that the ECP says it needed two months’ time to carry out delimitation in former Fata region to hold elections on provincial assembly seats there. It won’t make any difference if the polls are delayed by two months, he added.

He stressed that elections in the entire country including Fata should be held on the same date.

On June 25, the Commission rejected three petitions seeking postponement of the polls and holding elections in Fata simultaneously with the rest of the country.

Muttahia Qabail Party’s Habib Orakzai submitted that the general polls are scheduled to be held on July 25 across the country except for Fata.

He argued if elections for provincial assembly’s seats in Fata were not held the people of the tribal areas will be deprived of their right to franchise, which would be a violation of Article 25 of the Constitution.

Besides, he contended that there would be a poor turnout of voters on the polling day owing to the hot weather conditions likely to prevail next month.

Had the elections been scheduled in the winter the issue of inclement weather condition in Kaghan could have been raised, the CEC quipped.

Justice (retd) Irshad Qaiser, a member of the ECP from KP, said that elections would be held for seats of the National Assembly in Fata.